The Unexpected Encounter

It was 10:59pm on a Tuesday night. I was so hungry but I've eaten all the random food at home that I really needed to go out for once. Everyone else is still closed on this post-coronavirus atmosphere and Empire Diner is the only one nearby my house that's open.

The lights are beaming in the middle of a quiet street and as I open the door I hear the bells rung in the empty diner and a soothing jazz music started to grasp my attention and suddenly I'm in a different world, out of my troubles.

To be honest the past few days I haven't been feeling like myself. The pandemic truly has bared my soul naked. Lots of soul searching, lots of not knowing, lots of baking, lots of cooking, lots of laughing, yet lots of crying. This is a weird season that noone's ever been through before. We try to look up for guidance but most human alive now has never actually been through a pandemic.

That leads me to today - sitting on these beautiful red leather bench while staring into a couple in their 40s, working behind the bar, wearing a white shirt and a black vest. What a beautiful view - seeing them working together and making a joke about each other. The lady then approached me and asked if I wanted a coffee or tea. I asked her, "Why don't you offer me a real drink?" where she then laughed and said, "Well, you don't really look like you need a drink.". I was surprised because that's not how I feel at all.

"Umm.. A tea, please." She poured out a cup of tea for me and when she placed it on the table she said, "You know what you need? A friend." I was startled and said, "How so?" Genuinely wanting to know if she could see something in me that I couldn't.

"Young lady, everyone needs someone. Even if it's hard to find that someone or if you don't have someone yet - you gotta believe that that person is out there. Even when you're feeling alone, you still gotta know and believe in your heart that there's people out there going through the same thing like you and that you're not alone. Never. Never alone."

Wow. I was NOT expecting that hard hitting truth at 11:30pm at night on a Tuesday night. I don't know what just happened but baby little teardrops started to come down on my face and I can't seem to stop it.

"Sorry," I said, saying the most common thing people say when they get emotional and vulnerable in public spaces. "Don't say sorry. It's okay. It's good to let it out."

Just when I thought I couldn't get more embarassed, the door opened and I heard the bell as an older guy came in and warmly embracing this lady's partner. "How are you, George?" says the old guy. "I'm very well, thank you Peter. How's Marybelle?" as he came out of the bar to sit right next to Peter. "Oh, you know. She's doing well. I just came back from visiting her. She still remembers you and she told me to go here and say hi."

From my read of the room, my guess is they've known each other for a while. One glance and a nod from Peter to the lady in front of me, then he looked away and continued chatting with the guy. It's as if he knows that she's in some sort of deep talk with me.

"That's Peter. Marybelle is in a nursing home and sometimes he comes over after his night visit. We're the only 24/7 diner near his house so he comes here often." I became more amazed at how she just seems like to know and care for people that way. I then asked, "Sorry I forgot to ask, what's your name actually? I'm Lauren."

"Call me Audrey. So, back to you, oh I also almost forgot, do you want any food?" I nodded, as I was unable to speak a complete sentence of how I needed to see the menu. Somehow even through all this I'm still having tears on my face. "I know just the perfect dish for some late night comfort. I'll get you Andrew's Lasagna, OK? Andrew, could you get us one Lasagna please."

"Yes, my darling, coming right away." Andrew walked away as he finished pouring out a hot tea for Peter who is now just sitting and enjoying the atmosphere.

"Umm. Audrey. I don't know you, but I have to admit that I think what you said might be true. I think it explains what and how I'm feeling today, or should I say, the past few months. This pandemic has brought so much burden on me and I feel lost - I feel like I'm the only one who's not knowing what to do with what I have. I see people succeeding and doing small things here and there and flourish with their gifts. I just.... I'm not sure what I want, but one thing for sure is I don't want to be lost."

"Oh, Lauren, you are not lost. Look at you, you found your way even to get here. You are stronger and braver and way more capable than you think you are. We always discount ourselves in our mind."

"I don't know my passion", I said. "How come you're so passionate about this place?"

She then leaned back and said, "Andrew met me in this diner. We were so young and I was feeling so sad one day as I just lost my parents. I came here as it's the only diner open in the neighbourhood. Andrew actually worked a late shift that day and he offered me tea, coffee, but also some comfort. It was such a night I can't forget that I kept coming back for days. I watched him talk to people and watched him care for so many people that I realised he's truly my person and I'd love to do what he did. So we did it! Not long after we got married, we saved up some money and when the owner retired from this place he knew Andrew was the right person and he wanted Andrew to takeover this place. Since then, we've been doing just that and I love the fact that it's 24/7. You meet all kinds of people from all walks of life"

"I love it too now. I mean. I did not know you an hour ago and now I feel like coming back here everyday." I meant what I said.

"Look, Lauren. Often times we just need somebody to lean on. Someone to hear our stories, someone to tell us that it's gonna be okay. Someone to even just sit and eat with you and be there for you. Especially in tought times. When the pandemic hit, we thought we were going to lose this place. We thought we would have to close and not know when to open again. Obviously we did close for a bit in the beginning and when things started to open up again, we were receiving so much support from the community and we could open up and people are buying food for their homes, for their neighbour's homes and even for the homeless. We feel good to be able to do that and still stand strong today. It's just one humble little diner."

"It's our empire, baby." Andrew said as he placed the warm and rustic looking lasagna. "Be careful, it's hot. Straight out of the oven." He then walked back towards Peter and just sat with him, simply sit.

"Look. That's what he does. He still amazes me everyday. He would just sit with Peter whilst they both do their own thing. He knows when Peter wants to chat and when Peter wants to just be with somebody. See? We're never alone. You will find your person too. And even if not, you've found your place," said Audrey as she points to their logo on the wall.

"Thank you. Do you mind sitting with me as I eat this Lasagna? For tonight I just want to be with somebody too."

"Surely. Do you mind if I knit here while I sit?"

"Yeah, for sure."

I then digged into the best Lasagna I've ever had in my entire life. I'm not sure if it's actually the food, the people, the experience, the place, or just the fact that someone is sitting with me while I'm being vulnerable. Either way it's okay. This supper has lifted me up way more than any memes or good cookies have done for me the past few months. I guess vulnerability is not bad after all.

As I eat spoonful by spoonful, I had this sudden birth of passion in my heart where I thought, "I want to do this too. If I could be just half of a person Audrey and Andrew, I'd be doing half of the amazing things they're doing too, which is at least way more than what I'm doing now."

Then and there, I found a seed of purpose. It may still be a blurry vision of what lots of tomorrows will look like, an unclear destination about where I'm going but I somehow feel the most sure in my life than I've ever been. I know that I want to be with people. I want to do a business, a hustle, that can bring comfort to people's needs as well as people's soul. Eternal Diner did that today. Andrew and Audrey's boldness opened my eyes to a whole another world full of passion and purpose today. People who will inspire you do exist out there - you just gotta go find them! And when you find your person, hold dear and treasure them like a warm comforting lasagna to a hungry tummy.

This world is a better place because of you, and you are never, never alone. Trust, believe and know that everything will be okay.

As I finished my food, a song was playing and it's such a perfect song to mark this day - the end of my confusion and the beginning of something new.

"Cause I'm standing with you tonight

Yeah I will be that voice in your ear

Quietly destroying your fear

You won't even know that I'm here

But I'm standing with you tonight

Oh I will be the pill for your pain

Until the clouds have run out of rain

Close enough but just out of sight

I'm standing with you tonight"

To all who's reading this, this story is my "Empire Diner".

You are not alone, I'm with you, you got this, baby.

Lots of love,

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